The Leader approved two approaches:

·       Where the Council is the landlord, that it revises the payment terms further so that the rent for community halls can be repaid over a longer period, reflecting the predicted recovery of activity as the current lockdown eases and their cashflow returns. Individual repayment plans will be offered to these community halls that aim to make payments affordable in the short term but which will ensure that all rent and arrears are repaid by 31 March 2023.

·       Separately, from a community engagement point of view, it is proposed that where a community association leases a community hall from the Council, they will be invited to submit an application by a given deadline should they believe they are eligible for a rescue package. Once the deadline has passed, all applications will be considered and grants will be allocated based on the severity of the financial challenge faced by each organisation. The resulting package of financial support should not exceed £10,000 per centre and there should not be more than one package per centre. The total rescue programme will be capped at £100,000.